Jail and lengthy ban for dangerous driver

A BIGTON man who swerved his car back and forth across a busy main road while under the influence of drugs was jailed for eight months when he appeared for sentencing before Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Fifty two year old Richard Gentle, of Hayhoul Place, had previously admitted driving dangerously on the A970 between Toab and Dunrossness on 5 August last year.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said Gentle had been driving on the wrong side of the road – causing other cars to take evasive action.

The fiscal said one “public spirited” individual had intervened out of concern that Gentle was going to end up killing someone.

The member of the public drove alongside him and demanded that he stop the vehicle and hand over the keys.

Earlier that day he had crashed into a building outside the Toab Shop,at Virkie, before reversing onto the road without checking it was safe.

MacKenzie said police had dealt with the first incident. But Gentle, who had been slurring his speech under the influence of drugs, had ignored their advice not to drive again that day.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client accepted responsibility for what he had done.

“There was clearly no way he should have been behind the wheel of a car,” Allan said.

He added that Gentle recognised the need to work on both his decision making and substance misuse.

Sheriff Philip Mann referred to Gentle’s “dreadful, quite shocking” driving record and said he had put the public at “very great risk”.

“You’re facing several charges including twice driving whilst unfit through drugs,” Sheriff Mann said.

“Having been dealt with by police in respect of one instance, you deliberately went out and drove again.”

He added it was only a matter of good fortune that the episode “did not end up in catastrophe”.

Gentle was also disqualified from driving for 14 years.